The illustrative embodiments described in the present application are useful in systems including those for dispensing value and more particularly are useful in systems including those for providing evidence of payment of postage that can be traced to a sender.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) provides a service of mailpiece reception, sorting and delivery to national addresses and international postal streams. The USPS processes approximately 200 billion domestic letters per year. The USPS also processes parcels. Similarly, other courier services provide services for delivery of letters and parcels.
In 2001, Anthrax spores were found on mail pieces, mail-handling equipment and in or near areas where certain mail pieces that likely contained anthrax spores were handled. Postal service customers generally pay for postage by either buying a stamp or by using a postage meter to print indicia used to evidence payment of postage. Previously, the identity of a sender using stamps was never truly known and the identity of the sender of a mail piece could not generally be traced. Mailing machines including postage meters are commercially available from Pitney Bowes Inc. of Stamford, Conn.
Furthermore, postage payment evidencing systems are subject to fraud attacks. Previously, payment authentication by the post office was too costly to implement. As a result, the postage payment process is subject to fraud attacks and mailpieces are not generally traceable to an origin. Unscrupulous attackers may duplicate stamps.